Psychology and mental health

Prospective study of postpartum depression: 4.5-year follow-up of women and children

Article Abstract:

Children of all ages have been found to suffer from a variety of behavioral and cognitive problems when their mothers have been depressed, and the children's problems seem to persist even after the depression has lifted. In cases of postpartum depression, studies have found that mother-child interactions are more negative when the mother is depressed than when she is not. A study of 70 women was conducted to determine the effects of maternal depression on their 4.5-year-old children. The women were interviewed and data were obtained regarding occurrences of major or minor depression since pregnancy; postpartum depression was differentiated from depression occurring after the postpartum period. Mothers reported on their children's behavior as well, from which a child adjustment score was obtained for the six months prior to the interview. Ten of 70 subjects experienced postpartum depression, and they were more likely to have experienced depression at some later point during the follow-up period (8 of 10 women, 80 percent) than women without postpartum depression (25 of 60 women, 42 percent). There was no direct evidence of a relationship between postpartum depression and child behavior problems, which was a finding inconsistent with other studies, but there was a correlation between depression after the postpartum period and child behavior problems. An indirect link can therefore be drawn between postpartum depression and child behavior problems (since postpartum depression was linked to later depression), and it is suggested that intervention for mothers suffering postpartum depression can reduce the adverse effects on their children. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

The postpartum period has been identified as a high-risk time for depression, but few studies have considered all of the possible contributing factors. When subjects have been prospectively evaluated during pregnancy and followed through the postpartum period, taking into consideration any predisposing factors independent of pregnancy, a similar picture emerges for these subjects as for others at risk for major depression. Stress and vulnerability are suggested as key factors in the development of depression. In this study, 182 pregnant women were followed through the postpartum period; a control group of 179 women who were not pregnant were followed for a similar period. Subjects were evaluated using measures of depression, social and cognitive vulnerability measures, life stress measures, hormone analysis, and demographic factors. Among the pregnant women, factors that were predictive of a diagnosis of postpartum depression included previous depression, depression during pregnancy, and scores on the vulnerability and life stress measurements. Estradiol was the only hormone associated with a diagnosis of postpartum depression. For the control group, the only factors predictive of a diagnosis of depression were scores on vulnerability and life stress measurements. These results support the importance of the role of vulnerability and stress in the development of postpartum depression. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Self-discrepancies in clinically anxious and depressed university students

Article Abstract:

A study was conducted on self-discrepancies in university students who were either depressed, anxious, both depressed and anxious or without any psychiatric disorder. Results were consistent with self-discrepancy theory, which held that conflicting self-beliefs give rise to anxiety and depression. Specifically, it was found that high anxiety or depression was related to high self-discrepancy levels. Compared with nondepressive subjects, depressed students exhibited higher actual-ideal discrepancies, while anxious subjects showed the same compared with non-anxious subjects.